Díaz-Bolio, José (1906- ) Collection, 1827-1997


COLLECTION GUIDE

Prepared by Ruth Olivera, March, 1998.

INTRODUCTION

José Díaz-Bolio has been a man of many talents. He was born in Mérida, Yucatán, on August 6, 1906, and at the time of this writing is still living. He was educated in the United States and in Mexico and became a successful pharmacist in Mérida, developing a number of medicinal and fragrance products in his laboratory. His endeavors and accomplishments, however, extend far beyond the limitations of his profession. He has also been a musician, poet, prolific writer and journalist, and an amateur archaeologist and anthropologist, with a keen interest in all around him. He has been intensely concerned with the past and present of Yucatá, especially with his rattlesnake theory as the basis of Mayan culture. In a broader sense he may truly be called an observer of the world.

This collection contains personal and business correspondence, a taped interview, examples of his poetry, copies of many of the articles he wrote for such newspapers as Novedades in Mérida, and parts or all of some of his books. The Latin American Library has fifty-one entries under his name.


ARRANGEMENT OF COLLECTION

Personal

Box 1
Personal papers, correspondence, poetry, and other items.

Articles
Columns on the world in general

Boxes 2-7 (carbon copies)
"Perfil del Tiempo"

Boxes 8-9 (printed articles)
"Perfil del Tiempo"

Box 10 (carbon copies and printed articles)
"Mundorama"

Box 11 (carbon copies and printed articles)
"Ideario Estético"
"Perinames"
"Temas Históricos"
"La Guadalupana en la conquista de Méjico"
"Además de la Razón"
"Preguntas y Respuestas"
-Also general articles not associated with a particular column.

Columns on archaeology and anthropology

Box 12
"Temas Arqueólogicos"
"Mayalogía"
"Simbología"
"Diccionario de Errores"
"Antropología"

Books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and galleys

Box 13
In Spanish, English, and French.

Personal papers, correspondence, poetry, and other items

Box 1
Folder 1 (c. 1950-1997)

Biographical items relating to Díaz Bolio: a c.1950 snapshot; 1974 clipping by Eduardo Aviles Ramírez on the accomplishments of Díaz Bolio with photograph; short biography in Spanish with a list of his honors and achievements sent by his daughter Margarita Díaz Rubio de Ponce in a FAX to Guillermo Náñez Falcón on 27 August 1996; and a mini-cassette tape of a conversation between Díaz Bolio and Náñez Falcón on 21 April 1997. 4 pieces.

Folder 2 (1987-1991)

Lists of books by Díaz Bolio including those in the Latin American Library, with prices on an undated list. See Box 13 for copies of some of his pamphlets and manuscripts. 5 pieces.

Folder 3 (1965-1977)

Personal correspondence including: a TLS from Roberto Pérez de Acevedo on 20 May 1958 on the Díaz Bolio rattlesnake theory; a lengthy TLS on 18 September 1959 from his brother Arturo in Veracruz enclosing a manuscript of an article and a printed critique of Arturo's book Rebelión de mujeres; a mimeograph copy of a 1965 open letter to President Díaz Ordaz on the question of Cuba; a TLS on 7 June 1976 from Díaz Bolio on his busy life; and an ALS on 25 January 1977 from his daughter, an undated TL (carbon copy) to the people of Yucatán to boost morale. 9 pieces.

Folder 4 (1950-1951, 1966-1978)

Business corespondence including: a dossier of pharmaceutical business records relating to Eleuterio Castillo Prieto; business form letters; a TLS on 26 August 1966 from a California importer of antiquities on possible business; a bank receipt; a dossier of letters to and from Díaz Bolio in 1978 on possible pharmacies with which to do business and the price of economical newspaper ads; undated letters and papers related to the promotion and sale of his books, with lists of schools and the number of books sent, also lists of hotels and lists of persons to whom books have been sent, along with correspondence with hotels on their book shops and blank letterhead stationery. 30 pieces.

Folder 5 ([1930, 1932])

Manuscript (carbon copies) of Díaz Bolio's books of poetry Visión pensativa and El mayab resplandeciente with prologues by Isidro Fabela and Luís Rosada Vega. 2 pieces.

Folder 6 (1968)

Díaz Bolio mock-up carbon manuscript copy of Poesía y literatura mayistas, Op. 2812, 42 pages. 1 piece.

Folder 7 (1927-1997)

Díaz Bolio poetry (handwritten, typewritten carbon copy or printed). Some are undated. A negative film of a Díaz Bolio article on the music of Ricardo Palmerín contains also his poem "Tierra mía." A poem "Sencillez" is printed and signed and an ADS translation into English was given to Náñez Falcón on 21 April 1997. Also there are lists of quotations on poetry and Díaz Bolio articles on poetry nos. 2548, 2724, 2922, 3814, 3829, 4435, 4448, and 4950 plus unnumbered articles. See also Box 11, Folders 1-3 for other articles on poetry, written for the column "Ideario Estético." 36 pieces.

Folder 8 (n.d.)

Díaz Bolio handwritten notes in English and Spanish on astronomy and the number 7, Maya architecture, and Yucatán geography. 5 pieces.

Folder 9 (27 February 1975)

Program for an "Espectáculo en Uxmal" honoring Queen Elizabeth II of England and the Duke of Edinburgh composed of four cloth pages with color illustrations and legends of Uxmal in English, Spanish, and Maya with an embroidered cover of woven fiber, identified as belonging to Ermilo Castilla. 1 piece.

Folder 10 (1966, 1986, 1987)

Flyers announcing a lecture by Díaz Bolio in San Salvador (1966), a program of music from the Archivo Díaz Bolio in Mérida (1986) and two lectures by Díaz Bolio in California (1987). 5 pieces.

Folder 11 (n.d.)

Repertory of "Los Trovadores del Mayab" listing the titles, composers, lyricists, and type of music (typewritten), in which are included pieces of contemporary Yucatecan songs. Also photograph of the three guitarists. Although there is no direct connection with Díaz Bolio, the items reflect his passion for music and the guitar. 2 pieces.

Articles

Besides the many books in his bibliography, José Díaz Bolio wrote innumerable newspaper columns with such names as "Perfil del Tiempo," "Mundorama," "Ideario Estético," "Temas Arqueológicos," "Mayalogía," and "Crotalogía." His topics were far-ranging, but Maya culture, matters pertaining to present-day Yucatán, history, philosophy, religion, and contemporary world events were his principal preoccupations. Most articles are limited to one page, but some are longer. He used an erratic system of numbering, often giving the same number to two or three different articles, and including all columns under their various names in the same number sequence. Some articles have no number; some articles are dated. Carbon copy versions of articles may also include mimeograph copies.

Columns on the world in general

Box 2 "Perfil del Tiempo" (carbon copies)

Díaz Bolio for many years and up until at least 1996 wrote the column "Perfil del Tiempo" which appeared in various newspapers including Diario de Yucatán and Novedades de Yucatán of Mérida. This box contains numbers 434-2499.

Box 3 "Perfil del Tiempo" (carbon copies)

Numbers 2500-2900.

Box 4 "Perfil del Tiempo" (carbon copies)

Numbers 300-3900. (1977-1978)

Box 5 "Perfil del Tiempo" (carbon copies)

Numbers 4000-4599. (1973-1977)

Box 6 "Perfil del Tiempo" (carbon copies)

Numbers 4600-4900. (1977-1981)

Box 7 "Perfil del Tiempo" (carbon copies)

Numbers 500-8289. (1981-1982). Bound volume with numbers 1124-3054 (1952-1969). Also "Perfil del Tiempo" articles with no numbers.

Box 8 "Perfil del Tiempo" (printed articles)

The printed articles may or may not duplicate the manuscript articles in Boxes 2-7.

Folder 1 (1957-1964)

Bound volume of "Díaz Bolio ARTICLES." 1 piece.

Folder 2 ([1964], 1971, 1972, 1973)

Mounted column of "Perfil del Tiempo" appearing in El Porvenir 11 September 1964. Issue of newspaper Henequen, Mérida, November-December 1971, no. 157, with column "Perfil del Tiempo" on the first page. Mounted clippings of the column in folder indicating the dates August-September 1980, but 7 December 1972 is the only printed date. 24 pieces.

Folder 3 (1976-1977)

Mounted columns of "Perfil del Tiempo" titled "Mi descubrimiento del culto crotálico" appearing in the newspaper Novedades. See also similar articles on the "culto crotálico" in box 12 Folder 8. 12 pieces.

Folder 4 (1977)

Mounted columns of "Perfil del Tiempo." 53 pieces.

Folder 5 (1977, December -- 1978, January)

Mounted columns of "Perfil del Tiempo." Many pages have the name of the article only. 44 pieces.

Box 9 "Perfil del Tiempo" (printed articles)
Folder 1 (1957, 1958, 1962)

Mounted columns of "Perfil del Tiempo." 38 pieces.

Folder 2 (1978, February-July)

Mounted columns of "Perfil del Tiempo." Also lists of articles sent to Novedades in May and July. 15 pieces.

Folder 3 (1978, October -- 1979, January)

Mounted columns of "Perfil del Tiempo." appearing in Novedades which had previously appeared in El Informador or Diario de Yucatán in 1957 and 1958. 36 pieces.

Folder 4 (1985 and n.d.)

One mounted column of "Perfil del Tiempo" article from 1985, the rest undated. Included are articles on the musician friend of Díaz Bolio, Ricardo Palmerín. 74 pieces.

Folder 5 (n.d.)

Mounted columns of "Perfil del Tiempo." 48 pieces.

Folder 6 (n.d.)

Loose clippings of "Perfil del Tiempo" now mounted. 87 pieces.

Box 10 "Mundorama" (carbon copies and printed articles

Articles in the column titled "Mundorama" were obviously written by Díaz Bolio, but appeared under the pseudonym Angel Toro and also Cándido Mirón or El Espectador in the newspaper Novedades. They are concerned with current events and world politics, including that of the United States.

Folder 1 (1977-1982)

"Mundorama" by Angel Toro (carbon copies). 73 pieces.

Folder 2 (n.d.)

"Mundorama" by Angel Toro (carbon copies). 156 pieces.

Folder 3 (n.d.)

"Mundorama" by Angel Toro (carbon copies). 79 pieces.

Folder 4 (1979-1982, n.d.)

"Mundorama" by El Espectador (carbon copies, one printed). 150 pieces.

Folder 5 (n.d.)

"Mundorama" by Cándido Mirón (carbon copies). 53 pieces.

Folder 6 (1977-1978)

"Mundorama" titles only.

Folder 7 (1977-1978)

"Mundorama" by Angel Toro (printed articles mounted). 52 pieces.

Folder 8 (1977-1978)

"Mundorama" by Angel Toro (printed articles mounted in a binder). 73 pieces.

Box 11 "Ideario Estético" and other columns of cultural, historical, or general interest (carbon copies and printed articles)

"Ideario Estético"

In these articles Díaz Bolio narrows his field of topics to treat only the areas of poetry, literature, music, art or related subjects of cultural import. Poetry is always of particular interest to him. See Box 1, Folder 5 for examples of his own poetry and other articles on the subject.

Folder 1 (1977-1978, 1980, 1985)

"Ideario Estético" (carbon copies). Nos. 2007-4727. 54 pieces.

Folder 2 (n.d.)

"Ideario Estético" (carbon copies). No numbers. 43 pieces.

Folder 3 (n.d.)

"Ideario Estético" (carbon copies). No numbers. Found stapled together, they doubtless duplicate some of the articles in the above folders. 45 pieces.

Folder 4 (1956-1985, n.d.)

"Ideario Estético" (printed copies mounted). 56 pieces.

"Perinemas"
Folder 5 (n.d.)

"Perinemas," by Mirador, no number or date (carbon copies.)

"Temas Históricos"
Folder 6 (n.d.)

"Temas Históricos," "Histórico," "Mirador Histórico," "Historia de Yucatán," and "Historiografía," nos. 2035-3936 (carbon copies and printed article). Also galley proofs of "Mayan history," 7 pages. 7 pieces.

Folder 7 (1956, n.d.)

Biographical sketches of Emilio Puerto Molina, Don Chinto, Alberto Escalona Ramos, Luis Rosado Vega, and Lázaro Cárdenas, nos. 2560-3734 (carbon copies) and Diego de Lando (mounted clipping). 6 pieces.

"La Guadalupana en la conquista de Mejico" Folder 8 (1978)

Serial articles on the subject in eleven parts appearing in Novedades; also poem (carbon copies). 12 pieces.

"Además de la Razón"
Folder 9 (n.d.)

"Además de la Razón," parts II, IV, V, VI, VII, XIX, and XX nos. 2776-ma, c, d, e, f, q, r on happenings that defy reason (carbon copies). 7 pieces.

"Preguntas y respuestas"
Folder 10 (n.d.)

Questions, answers, and riddles (carbon copies). 4 pieces.

General articles not associated with a particular column
Folder 11 (1976-1979, n.d.)

Articles nos. 1125-4720 and unnumbered articles on a wide range of topics (carbon copies and printed articles mounted). 55 pieces.

Columns on archaeology and anthropology

Box 12 "Temas Arqueológicos" and other columns (carbon copies and printed articles).

"Temas Arqueológicos"
Folder 1 (n.d.)

"Temas Arqueológicos" and similar names (carbon copies). Nos. 2037-4934. 46 pieces.

Folder 2 (n.d.)

"Temas Arqueológicos" (carbon copies, with an occasional printed copy attached.) Nos. 3342-3997. 34 pieces.

Folder 3 (n.d.)

"Temas Arqueológicos" (carbon copies, with an occasional printed copy attached.) Nos. 4001-5200. Also an article with no number and title pages only.

Folder 4 (1977, n.d.)

"Temas Arqueológicos" (printed articles mounted). Also incomplete article on archaeological sites in Yucatán (typewritten). 13 pieces.

"Mayalogía"

Folder 5 (1977-1978, n.d.)

"Mayalogía" and similar names (carbon copies with an occasional printed copy attached). Nos. 2250?-4418. 43 pieces.

Folder 6 (1966, 1977, n.d.)

"Mayalogía" (clippings mounted with a corresponding printed copy). 9 pieces.

Crotalogía"

Folder 7 (1978, n.d.)

"Crotalogía" and similar names (carbon copies with some printed articles mounted). Nos. 2655-4634. 18 pieces.

Folder 8 (1976-1977)

Series of articles titled "Mi descubrimiento del culto crotálico," similar to those in thecolumn "Perfil del Tiempo" in Box 8 Folder 3. (Printed articles and carbon copies). 10 pieces.

Folder 9 (1977, n.d.)

Other articles, some incomplete, describing Díaz Bolio's discovery of what the calls the "culto crotálico," based on the theory that the rattlesnake is the basis and source of Mayan civilization as it pertains to geometry, arithmetic, architecture, and cosmology. Also related articles on rattlesnakes, the Maya calendar, and the numbers 7, 13, and 20. This theory is expanded upon in many of his articles on anthropology and archaeology and also in his books (typewritten and galley proofs). 16 pieces.

Folder 10 (1959, 1967, 1971, 1972, n.d.)

Clippings and photocopies of clippings dealing mostly with Díaz Bolio's theory of the "culto crotáalico," including two unidentified snapshots of a monument and a photocopy of the title page of his book Origen del Nahui Olin (972.015/D542s/Appendix 2/Latin American Library). Also a printed letter 6 August 1971 from Díaz Bolio to rattlesnake specialist Hobart M. Smith on his theory and the reply of Smith 18 January 1972. 10 pieces.

"Simbología

Folder 11 (n.d.)

"Simbología" (carbon copies). Nos. 3671-4096. 3 pieces.

"Diccionario de Errores"

Folder 12 (n.d.)

Diccionario de Errores" (carbon copies). Nos. 1159-2692. 4 pieces.

"Antropología"

Folder 13 (n.d.)

"Antropología," "Zoología Antropológica" and similar names (carbon copies). Nos. 475, 2235-4993. Also three unrelated anthropological articles (carbon copies and galley proof). 15 pieces.

Articles on archaeology and anthropology not associated with a particular column

Folder 14 (n.d.)

Incomplete articles on the Chilam Balam (carbon copies). One has No. 3721. 3 pieces.

Folder 15 (n.d.)

Article "La serpiente de cascabel en los huipiles de Yucatán," 5 pages (typewritten with galley proofs). 2 pieces.

Books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and galleys Box 13

In Spanish
Folder 1 (c. 1955)

Prologue for the most important Díaz Bolio book La serpiente emplumada (972.015/D542s3/LAL) (typewritten) and set of galley proofs for this book or a shorter version, pp. 1-23. 2 pieces.

Folder 2 (n.d.)

Copies of the sections of "Principales conclusiones antropológicas," a resume of the Díaz Bolio book La serpiente emplumada (carbon copies), along with galley proofs, in which he sets forth the principal theories in his book. 10 pieces.

Folder 3 (1966, n.d.)

Galley proofs for the Díaz Bolio publication La geometría de los mayas y el mayarte crotálico (F/1435.3/.A7D47/1975/LAL), 20 pages, 1 piece.

Folder 4 (c.1972)

Sections of galley proofs for the Díaz Bolio publication Guía instructiva de Chichen Itza (F/1435.1/.C5D5218/LAL), 25 pages. Also excerpts of two letters from Eduardo Aviles Ramírez in praise of this guide. 6 pieces.

Folder 5 (c.1978)

Draft of the preface by Díaz Bolio for the book Vocabulario de Mayatán by Dorothy Andrews Heath de Zapata, Mérida, c.1978 (PM/3966/.A5/LAL), 2 pages (typewritten). Also a set of some of hte galleys for this book. 2 pieces.

Folder 6 (n.d.)

Díaz Bolio pamphlet-style guide book Guía instructiva a las ruinas de Uxmal, with illustrations and map, 119 pages. 1 piece.

Folder 7 (n.d.)

Drafts for a Díaz Bolio publication or text for a slide presentation called "Yucatán en los ojos" in which photographs of Mayan sites and of Mérida are described (typewritten and carbon copies). 4 pieces.

In English
Folder 8 (c.1971

Section of galley proofs of the Díaz Bolio publication Instructive guide to the ruins of Uxmal (F/1435.1/U7D53/1971/LAL), 28 pages and two sets of indexes not used in the publication. 3 pieces.

Folder 9 (c.1974?)

"La chaya miracle plant nutritional and medicinal," an English translation by Hilaire Hileu and Charles Demaugate of the Díaz Bolio book Chaya planta maravillosa alimenticia y medicinal (QK/99.5/.M4D52/LAL) (typewritten), 32 pages. 1 piece.

Folder 10 (n.d.)

Draft of "Anthropological survey" on the characteristics of the Mayans (typewritten), 5 pages, and galley proofs, which may not coincide or be complete. 2 pieces.

Folder 11 (n.d.)

Drafts (typewritten) and galleys of "Mayan history," with sections on chronology, human sacrifices, arithmetic and mathematics, writing, sculpture, ethno-botany, professions and craftmanships, the serpentine aesthetics of Maya art with divisions on music, painting, and dances and an older Díaz Bolio paper on the subject, language, agriculture, and commerce. 23 pieces.

Folder 12 (n.d.)

Drafts (typewritten) and galleys of "Everybody's methodic encyclopedia of Mayan civilization," possibly related to this "Mayan history." 6 pieces.

In French
Folder 13 (c.1975)

Section of galley proof of the Díaz Bolio publication Ruines de Chichen Itza (F/1435.1/C5D5214/1975/LAL), a version of the handwritten manuscript, and folder cover identifying the translator. 3 pieces.

Folder 14 (n.d.)

Typewritten version of the intended Díaz Bolio publication "Guide explicatif des ruines d'Uxmal," with list of illustrations. 2 pieces.

END


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